Category: Marriage/Family
Here’s The Real Reason Why Our Birth Rate Is Plummeting
We have talked a lot over the years about the decline in the birthrate and the rapidly increasing number of young adults who are refusing to get married and have children. As much as we’ve discussed the subject, we still have not discussed it enough. It is one of the great crises facing our civilization at the present moment. When a society gives up on having children, it has given up on its future, given up on itself.
Read More
Artificial Intelligence and Relationships: 1 in 4 Young Adults Believe AI Partners Could Replace Real-life Romance
According to a new Institute for Family Studies/YouGov survey of 2,000 adults under age 40, 1% of young Americans claim to already have an AI friend, yet 10% are open to an AI friendship. And among young adults who are not married or cohabiting, 7% are open to the idea of romantic partnership with AI.
Read More
A Surprising Generational Rift in the Christian Reformed Church
At a recent denominational meeting, the issue before delegates from affiliated churches across North America was same-sex marriage. The debate had been long in coming, partly prompted by two LGBTQ+ affirming churches in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), a Protestant denomination, ordaining women in same-sex marriages to the office of deacon. On the table was a motion that would make official and binding the position that sexual activity is rightly reserved for marriage between one man and one woman.
Read More
Kids Doll Promoting Movie Inadvertently Directs Buyers To Porn Site
Multinational toy company Mattel has issued an apology after it was discovered that the packaging for its “Wicked” themed toys directed customers to an explicit pornography site.
The doll collection, including fashion dolls, singing figurines, and deluxe collectible models, was pulled from the shelves at Target as of Monday and is in the process of being removed from other major retailers, such as Walmart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy, DSW, and Amazon, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Read More
The Disparate Effects of Household Instability on Children’s Education
In contrast to evidence that family instability and parental divorce have sizable negative effects on white children’s education, the effects on black children’s education have been shown to be small or even absent. But are black children’s educational careers uniformly immune to family instability? Kristin Perkins’ work published earlier this year shows differences among black children, which means the disparate effects are not just black and white.
Read More
‘Just Talking’ Delays Commitment in Romantic Relationships
What ever happened to dating? This is a question I’ve been asking as a researcher, clinician, and educator for the past decade. In my most recent IFS blog post, I discussed a substantial change in the way emerging adults (18 to 29-year-olds) are forming romantic relationships. Smartphones, social media, and dating apps have changed and continue to substantially alter the way young people are forming romantic relationships. By literally having access to thousands of potential partners via social media and dating apps, many emerging adults are struggling to let go of their vast sea of romantic options and commit to a partner worth investing the time and energy it takes to have a healthy relationship.
Read More
California, Colorado and Hawaii voters repeal traditional definition of marriage
California, Colorado, and Hawaii have all voted in 2024 to repeal the traditional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. Many commentators have pointed out that these states’ constitutional changes are largely symbolic measures after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision. However, these November ballot votes mark a years-long settlement of American popular opinion in favor of gay “marriage.”
Read More
Russia bans ‘child-free propaganda’ to try to boost birth rate
“MOSCOW, Nov 12 (Reuters) – Russia’s lower house of parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to ban what authorities cast as pernicious propaganda for a child-free way of life, hoping to boost a faltering birth rate.
Official data released in September put the birth rate at its lowest in a quarter of a century while mortality rates are up as Moscow’s war in Ukraine rages on. The Kremlin called the figures “catastrophic for the future of the nation”.
Your Hardest Family Question: My husband is hooked on televised sports
My question is how to deal with the problem of husbands “hooked” on TV sports that spend hours each week year round resulting in wives who feel resentful that he prefers spending his time that way than with her? Is there a compromise that might be acceptable to both parties? Do men realize how unhappy it makes their wives but they don’t care?
Read More
3 Tips for a Great Marriage
Having a good marriage takes a lot of intentionality and effort. However, with these 3 tips for a great marriage, you can elevate your relationship with your spouse to the next level. Believe the best—even when you’re hurt, Speak with kindness—even when you want to tell it like it is and Do the little things that matter to your spouse.
Read More
3 states remove definition of marriage from state constitutions
California and Colorado voted to repeal amendments that defined marriage as between a man and a woman, while Hawaii is on track to repeal its traditional definition of marriage, though it has not yet been called.
Read More
Jerry Seinfeld: “Woke Agenda Warps Children”
“Comedian Jerry Seinfeld stood up to the woke mob earlier this year by debunking so-called “toxic masculinity.”
Around the same time, he also voiced his frustration with people’s over sensitivity with humor and expressed disgust for terrorist sympathizers surrounding the ongoing war in the Middle East.
The legendary comic has once again said what many others are thinking but have been reluctant to say, this time concerning emotions related to the election.”
Read More